How to Seed Your New Lawn

Properly established grass will have fewer brown spots.

Growing a perfect lawn can improve the look of the home landscape and increase curb appeal. You have two main options for growing a lawn: seeding or sodding. While sodding gives you an "instant" lawn, it is expensive, and the varieties of grass available in sod form are limited. Seeds are cheap to buy and are available in a wide variety of grass types, allowing you to choose the grass density and the amount of work you wish to put into caring for your lawn.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Organic material
• Fertilizer
• Rake
• Rototiller
• Measuring tape
• Seed
• Seed spreader
• Straw
• Hose

Instructions

1. Remove all debris, such as trash and large rocks, from the lawn area.

2. Remove a soil sample from the lawn using a shovel and send it to your local university extension for soil testing, following instructions provided by the university. Testing determines how the soil should be modified with organic material and fertilizer.

3. Apply the organic material (such as compost) and fertilizer recommended by the soil test to the lawn using the shovel. Spread it with a rake.

4. Till the organic material and fertilizer into the soil to a depth of 4 to 6 inches using a rototiller.

5. Measure the lawn's length and width. Multiply the two figures to get the square area of the lawn in feet. Check the grass-seed package for the seeding rate according to square feet. For example, bluegrass needs 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of seed per 1,000 square feet.

6. Divide the seed quantity for the lawn in half. Pour one of the halves into your seed spreader.

7. Spread the seed moving left and right along the lawn. Refill the seed spreader with the other half and walk it up and down the lawn. Rake the seed gently to cover it with a thin layer of soil.

8. Spread one bale of straw per 1,000 square feet over the grass seed to protect it.

9. Water the lawn with 1 inch of water per week, spreading it out over the entire week, until the seeds germinate.

Tips & Warnings

• Apply seeds in the fall when the soil is warm; this speeds up the germination process. Contact your local university extension service for the best time to seed in your area.

References

• Iowa State University Extension; Establishing a Lawn From Seed; Norman Hummel
• Oregon State University; Practical Lawn Establishment and Renovation; T. Cook
• University of Minnesota Extension; Lawn Renovation; R.J. Mugaas and B.W. Pedersen